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Written by William Klein   
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Tuesday, 20 March 2012

Join a Carpool

With gas prices constantly on the rise, carpooling is a great way to mitigate the costs. Find people in your area who have a commute similar to yours and start reaping the benefits! Carpooling enables you to save money, reduce CO2 emissions, and decrease traffic congestion. Having trouble finding neighbors down to ride? Not a problem, there are several carpool websites offering to set you up with a compatible carpool group!

BENEFITS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT:

Massive Traffic Exhuast1
When driving 2,000 pounds of metal down the highway, something’s gotta give. It turns out we are trashing our air as we hurtle along roads. Nearly all vehicles these days run on some version of old, dead, plant matter, whether its gasoline or diesel. These fuels are burned to power the vehicle, releasing millions of years worth of pent up carbon dioxide into our air. Additionally, we are spewing nitrous oxides, methane, and other smoggy chemicals as a small token of appreciation for our once clean air. Not only does this affect our atmosphere’s ability to regulate temperature at a comfort level pleasant for us, the smog they spew into our air greatly increases the chances of asthma and other respiratory diseases. Carpooling takes more cars off the road and effectively reduces the amount of harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases that are being produced. Fewer cars also leads to fewer roads and parking lots, which means more parks, businesses, and space for people!

BENEFITS FOR YOUR WALLET:

The average American household spends around $3,000 on fuel each year2. This doesn’t even account for the hundreds of dollars each month spent on insurance, maintenance, parking, lost value through depreciation, tolls, lost time sitting in traffic, etc. Carpooling in essence allows you to enjoy the benefits of the automobile without incurring all of the sunk costs with minimal benefit. If you want to calculate your true cost of driving, check out this calculator.

BENEFITS FOR THE COMMUNITY:

Who likes to be stuck alone in their vehicle? Carpooling allows you a chance to meet new and interesting people (perhaps a few less interesting folks, but at least they will provide fodder for good stories), and maybe even lead to some new friendships. It also means less time stuff in traffic, you can join the HOV lane!

Cost: Low

If you have a regular commute, carpooling will actually save you money by reducing your transportation costs.

Time and effort: Moderate

Carpooling is easy and not too much of an extra effort, especially on the days that other people drive. Plus, you get to use the carpool lane, which will save you time on your commute!

How to set up a carpool:

Car Pool Lane
If you have a regular commute to and from your workplace, driving probably gets a little boring. With carpooling, you get to socialize and chat with your passengers, or you can just ride peacefully while someone else drives you to work. Setting up a carpool is even easier these days thanks to the advent of new web technologies that automatically look for rideshare matches. The most well known of these is Zimride.

Zimride integrates into your facebook page, where drivers and riders can post their ride needs and wants on a central page. It then connects people who make sense, and allows them to pay each other with Paypal. Many workplaces now offer this as a service, so check with your work to see if it works for you. If Zimride doesn’t work for you, follow these simple steps to find a rideshare for you. First, check your workplace to see if there is anyone who lives near your area and is willing to carpool with you.

Determine the schedule:
What is the most efficient route to pick up each person? What time does everyone need to arrive at work? What time does each person need to be ready in the morning? What time does each person leave work in the evening? How long should you wait for someone if they are late? Which days of the week does each person drive?
Don't forget to establish a few ground rules. Some suggestions:
Is smoking allowed? Are either eating or drinking allowed? Can you play the radio? What station can you play? How long should you wait for someone if they are late?
Start carpooling!
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1 http://robedwards.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c091653ef0168e84a0502970c-400wi
2 http://www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/CFA-NHTSA-EPA-Comments-FE-Standard-2-13-12.pdf




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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 March 2012 )

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